08/06/2026
As of this week, the condo review process changed for good, and a lot of loan officers haven't caught up yet.
The Limited Review process, the shortcut that let established condo projects skip a full review, is officially retired as of August 3, 2026. Most condo projects now require a full review: HOA financials, insurance documentation, reserve studies, and any pending special assessments all get a closer look than they used to. It's a response to a real problem. Underfunded reserves and rising insurance costs have made condo buildings a bigger risk than the old shortcut process accounted for, and a related change taking effect in 2027 will require associations to reserve at least 15% of their annual budget for repairs, up from 10%.
For loan officers, the practical impact is timeline. A condo file that used to move quickly may not anymore. The loan officers staying ahead of this are asking for the HOA budget, reserve study, and insurance declarations upfront, before they're deep into a file and discovering a documentation gap that costs them two weeks.
Know the change before your next condo file, not in the middle of it.
Save this and share it with a loan officer who works condo transactions.
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